A Viral Genetic Element Involved in a Rabbit Model of Herpes Simplex Virus-Induced Seizures
Presenter: Dr. Jeng-Yang Ling
Instructor, Department of Microbiology and Immunolog, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
摘要：
Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is an neurotropic virus and infection of the CNS with HSV can lead to epileptiform seizure activity in both human and experimental animals. Results of animal studies strongly suggest that the viral genetics play an important role in the development of seizures in HSV-1 infected animals. To explore the mechanisms underlying HSV-induced seizures, we wanted to identify the riral genes which are important for virus-induced seizures in rabbits. To this end, intertypic recombinants were generated between HSV-1 strain +GC and HSV-2 strain HG52p18. +GC causes high mortality and seizures in rabbits whereas HG52p18 is non-virulent as well as weakly neuroinvasive in rabbits. Three recombinant viruses were generated. Recombinant R1 containing UL26/26.5 and UL27 genes from +GC was more virulent than HG52p18 and also incuded seizures. Histopathological and in situ hybridization studies revealed that both R1 and HG52p18 efficiently invaded the trigeminal system. However, R1 was more invasive than HG52p18 for the olfactory system. Two reciprocal recombinants, R3 and R4, in which UL26/26.5 and UL27 genes of +GC were replaced with homologous DNA fragment from HG52p18 were non-virulent and less invasive in the CNS olfactory pathway than their parental virus, +GC. Our results strongly indicate that UL26/26.5 and UL27 genes of +GC play an important role in HSV-induced seizures in rabbit.